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ISOs

Incentive stock options carry great potential tax benefits, but their taxation can be complex, especially when the alternative minimum tax comes into play. Browse an overview of this section below, or explore the subtopics to the left. See also the ISO sections of the Tax Center.

Selected Articles

Incentive stock options (ISOs) are potentially quite valuable. However, they are more rule-bound, complex, and risky than nonqualified stock options (NQSOs). In fact, mistakes with ISOs can be quite costly. This article presents five key aspects of ISOs that you must know at the time of grant, before you exercise the options, and when you sell the shares.

Stock options rose to fame in the 1990s. Even on the TV sitcom Seinfeld, Elaine got lucrative stock options and couldn't stop talking about them (provoking George's resentment, of course). Options remain a major form of employee equity. This article compares the two types and how they work.

Incentive stock option (ISO) exercises made during a calendar year are reported to you and the IRS on Form 3921 early in the following year. This article explains what you need to know about the information on the form, and how the form can help you better understand the complexities of ISO taxation.

This is simply a selection of the many articles in this section.Use the navigation to the left to explore all of the categories in this section.

Companies in the United States can grant two types of stock options: nonqualified stock options (NQSOs), the most common type, and incentive stock options (ISOs). The table in this FAQ summarizes and compares the major traits...

At some companies, international assignments are often accompanied by what is commonly called an equalization package. To give you an incentive to accept the international assignment, the company agrees to...

Running parallel to the regular tax system, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) was designed to require extremely wealthy people to pay their fair share of taxes when credits and deductions could otherwise reduce or eliminate their tax liabilities. However, the reach of the AMT has expanded over time to hit middle-income people it was never intended to tax...

This is simply a selection of the many FAQs in this section.Use the navigation to the left to explore all of the categories in this section.